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Likkutei Torah Veyadata #3: When Infinity Knocks at Your Door, It Feels Scary

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Rabbi YY Jacobson avatar
Rabbi YY Jacobson

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Today's class is dedicated by Dina and Elio Schustman from Atlanta, Georgia and tribute to the yeshiva.net for helping our generation live to its fullest potential. Thank you very very much Rabbi and Rabbitman. We appreciate it very deeply. Baky Kyle. Okay, the says this is a verse in Psalms chapter 37 says literally it means trust God and do good then you'll dwell on the earth you'll will dwell in the land. Erit is the land. Is a very interesting term. What does that mean? So Rashi says on means you'll shepherd is from the word raya like aa is a shepherd or you will get nurture you will shepherd yourself through your faith. In other words your amuna your faith will shepherd you will sustain you will a shepherd sustains the flock. A shepherd protects the flock. You'll be nurtured. You'll receive reward. You'll be shepherded. You'll you'll be protected from your am from your faith. That's literally what it means. Tit a deep the deeper meaning of he says the t of a shepherd is someone who takes carefus like from the word sustains nurtures protects. So needs to be shepherded that the amuna will shepherd you meaning and it actually says your amuna will bring you reward but it's not literally means shepherd the amuna not you'll be shepherded from She says the muna needs to be shepherded because we spoke before that there's two experiences. There's das and there's amuna. Das represents the the first section of the m the first two chapters. Das represents something that is visceral knowledge. It's intimate knowledge. It's awareness that is real. You can have which is abstract could be abstract and das is really it's application. It's applied to you. says Adam knew and she motherthered her children cen and he so what doesn't mean Adam is abstractly he knew her he knew about her intellectually yada is an expression of connection of intimacy of oneness so when you speak about knowledge it's knowledge that is real it's integrated it's integrated into the person and that's why das requires so much self-awareness Because das is not about information on a computer or information in a book. That's uh that's uh that Google has much better than you'll have. Das is information that's engraved. It's it's in Tanya chapter 3 says you're connected to it. That's why Das is considered the parent of emotion because it's the bridge between the mind and the emotions including the emotions felt in the body. So das requires self-awareness because it's always about how it's affecting me and what are the blockages inside of me not allowing it to affect me or not allowing it to resonate with me or permeate me. So das requires a tremendous amount of self-awareness because it's about idea being integrated. So das he says is visceral. It's very real. It's it's it's it's it's called it's it's experiential intellect. It's not abstract intellect. He says it's like a person sees something. That's how real it is. Even though it's something that you can see, you're talking about das here of a higher reality of the ultimate reality of Hashem. So it's not something that's reduced to physical matter that my eye is going to be able to detect. You need a higher eye. They call it the third eye. You know, the the higher eye, the ultimate eye. I as in E and I as in I the I. But like said from my flesh I perceive Hashem and he uses the word which is a translation of seeing we just had saw he saw a vision. I'll see it just like I see it with my eyes even though I don't see it with my eyes but that's how real it is. So das by definition is ponymous. He says what you have to make sure is that there's no hass that your das is not removed. It remains real, focused, attentive and it's hard because it's very very easy to get disregulated and even if the information is there but the das is not there. Das means it's integrated for this I need to be regulated because if not it can't really go into me. There's no system. The system is chaos chaotic. A regulated nervous system allows for das. A disregulated nervous system doesn't allow for das. So that's das. Then there's a muna. What did he say? She explained the difference between we spoke at length and that the element of the divine permeating the world tailor made to every single creature according to its identity constituting the inner chemistry of creation and every nook and cranny of it every detail of it that's where das comes in and as he said in pic bay this is connected to malik Then there is the tool set we call a muna. What is a ma? A ma this we call faith. This is something that's higher than das. What does it mean that it's higher than das? It's not that there's a ma that could be lower than das. There's a ma that's higher than das. There's a big difference. A ma that's lower than das is I don't want to use my das. So I just have a muna. I believe you. Yeah. But real amun says amun is that the das is used as much as a das can be used. But das even profound das and even authentic das can take you to a certain space. You know it could take you could show you the door could take you till the door. Maybe you could peek a little bit in but then da says sorry I don't have a ticket to pass. There's a certain place I can't pass. Not because I don't want to. Not because I'm afraid in the sense of I'm afraid if we discuss certain things. It's just we're touching a reality that the nature the chemistry of the brain and the mind of how it works simply it can't it can't contain it. So it could do one of two things. The stupid thing that some people do I don't know if the word is stupid but the more foolish thing is you say doesn't exist. If I don't understand it, it doesn't exist. But we understand how narrow that is, how not das that is. The mature thing that Das is, or I should say the the it's more the mature. It's this it's the spiritual sensitivity of Das is it lets go. It lets go and it opens itself up to something that's infinite. It lets go. It lets go of the need to be structured and even to understand to be able to experience that which is beyond us. And amuna is a skill of the soul. It's not something again faith is not you know I want to be lazy. I'm not interested in investigation. I don't want to scrutinize. I'm lazy and I want to sit on my couch. I call it amuna. That's why he doesn't want to use the word das. You also want to apply a muna to that which you use das. If you could use das, don't use a muna for it. As he said, when the world what the world calls a ma to it's a mistake. You don't need a ma for it. You need good das. You need to open your eyes. You need to be attentive. You need to be real. You need to be authentic. You need to tune in. You have to get rid of your biases. And just like our physical eyes can show us that which lends itself to be perceived by the physical eyes, and our physical ears can detect those voices that lend themselves to be detected by our physical ears. And our minds allow us to detect or to absorb stimuli that can be experienced through our physical brains and minds. There's another skill of the soul and it's called amuna. And muna is that I'm using the word skill because I don't have another word but it's like a sense of the soul like call it a sixth sense you know you have five senses that allow you to detect reality I can touch it I can smell it I can taste it I can see it I can hear it and I know it's here that's usually how we detect reality we all understand there may be deeper realities that I have to use it other forms of senses you have a deeper sense called the muna that when cultivated It allows the person to experience ultimate reality and ultimate reality is beyond ultimate reality is of and ultimate ultimate reality is the reality we spoke about the pure infinity that is precation and postcreation where there's oneness and that's where amuna comes that was the main the main point on this the says amuna amuna needs to be shepherded when flock you have flock grazing and they're not there's no shepherd there what happens they become emaciated it. They're there, but they're starving. Nobody No one is there to raise them, to develop them, to make sure they're healthy. They're on a good diet. They have ear, they have oxygen, they have water, they have nutrition, they have food. That's what a good shepherd does. A ma has to be shepherded. The is there. It's somewhere there. But it's it's a it's a mitzvah. Shepherd. Allow your am to develop. That's what a good shepherd does. Allow your flock to develop to be mafit to give it food to the point that it should become integrated like das. So feed your am nurture your am to make it from something that's transcendental as powerful as it is to be something that's integrated. This is what it says about the future comes says Isaiah 11 we say famous says the earth will be filled with divine knowledge divine awareness like the water covers the sea finishes his whole also with this So he says what's so literally it means is the earth the physical earth will be filled with dea like the water is covered with the sea. So the earth will be covered with he says there's also a deeper interpretation in the word is also associated with amuna. Why represents the earth the lowest level on the bottom the earth. So he says the is the lowest level the revelation over there is only a he knows because the beginning it says in the beginning is etched in the end. So he says the revelation of the beginning is always all the way at the end not in the middle. This which is a this will be filled with that the which is what do we call a we'll see in a moment is going to be filled with that that will be recognized and felt as though you see it that's what it says in there that the glory of Hashem will be revealed and all flesh will see that the mouth of Hashem spoke What is he saying here? Why is erit called amuna? Because so he says it is the lowest level and it it doesn't have when you say the word amuna it means faith. So he applies it to the word eritz. On one hand, amuna is capturing that which das can't capture. It's beyond it's beyond intellect. That's why it's called amuna. So it's touching the highest. No. Where does it come out? It comes out. It comes out in erits. So erit is called the earth. And he says that's representative of a used to say that the the simplicity of a simple Jew touches the simplicity of the essence. On one hand it's the simplicity eritz it's not sophisticated and enlightened and educated and brilliant and profound but that no that simplicity that touches the simplicity that is beyond all sophistication. So on one hand you say all this person has is is a ma is like a faith the says in says right a fool a fool believes everything and and a clever person understands things. So it's very it's like a denigrating. If you're a fool, you believe things. And if you're is like you're, you know, you're clever, it's then you understand things. If you're a fool, you believe it's snowing outside. I believe you. Huh? Then you have a medish in. It's a strange med. Wait, really? All fools should be as intelligent as Mosha. This is our this is the example. It says that Mosha was the Rambam calls Misha the ultimate in what a human being can be. Talking about his wisdom's wisdom. This is hard to understand. So explains in Tanya in chapter 18 he says that's the of what am he says if you're dealing with something that's intelligent it's something that that the intelligence can absorb then what are you believing do your investigation and I'm a fool I just believe but if you're dealing with something that no thought can grasp something that's essentially here is the greatest detriment it's The greatest obstacle he has that everybody is like a fool and explains the very interesting it says um means I'm ignorant I know nothing. I'm like a and I'm always with you. So literally it means I know nothing. I'm ignorant. I'm stupid. I'm foolish. I'm petty. I'm like an animal but I'm with you. Tes no one depends on the other because therefore therefore I could be with you because I don't have the identity of the faculty that will be the obstacle that will eclipse you. So on one hand that touches the highest reality but where does it touch the highest reality? touch and erit the person stripping themselves from everything they're comfortable with and their comfort zone and their enlightenment and their their brilliance and their identity and their mileas because the mil becomes a here knew how to be a fool more than smart people. Smart people are afraid of being fools because you're going to think they're dumb. Moshe wasn't. It's a real mind game because on the on the desk and articulate and look. You're right. When you go into the office and you have to practice as a lawyer, you got to be a lawyer. If the lawyer says that, you tell your wife when you come home. I don't know if you tell your wife. You tell yourself when you have to say it. You're right. those realities that Seahul needs. If I'm if I'm trying to learn a piece of gamar and I say I believe the gamar I believe Abaya knew what he was talking about. I trust him. He was a good man. He was an honest man. That's not how learning is. I need to understand what Abaya is saying. I need to understand what is why is arguing with him. Yo. So did Moshe have he? So even Moshe when it comes to ultimate infinity even Moshe says I I want to I want yeah he needs ama why he doesn't need a it's not it's not it's not he needs a he had a muna is the the link the link with infinity that's what it means you would think that was such a connection so so what what for other people need He didn't. But there's higher and higher and higher. You're right. For for what other people need ama didn't need a he says you should believe him that there's more. So they say they say a good an old vice reminds me sometimes when you read science today or scientists not science when you read sci articles of scientists reminds me today especially certain scientists they say that there was a big summit a conference a worldren a world summit of all the fools in the world that happened after wrote a fool believes everything so the fools made a summit on emergency for 3 days. What was the summit? They said till now we can eclipse our foolishness. We could present ourselves and nobody knew we were stupid. But now I mean he exposed us. He removed the lid because he gave the criteria. He says fools believe everything. So now they know who we are. Till now I could mix among the crowd and look intelligent. we will forever have the reputation of being foolish. So you know what they decided? Yeah. They decided we're not going to believe anything. And that was the conclusion and now nobody will be able to identify us and and now we won't believe anything. We have a lot especially in our communities we have a lot of cynicism. What's cynicism? Cynicism is people were hurt because they trusted they trusted they believed. When you're a kid you trust the people around you and then suddenly you realize that not everybody is as innocent or has the integrity you thought they had. So a very natural response especially among certain people who come to the Shia and other people not only people who come to the Shia is you become cynical about everything and everybody I'm not going to be a fool I believe nothing what happens is we also cut ourselves off from our innocence we allow people who are less who who who sometimes surrender to the lower angels of human nature to kill the innocent inside of us, the ma inside of us. So sometimes the fool believes everything and then sometimes the fool hurts himself by saying I don't believe anything. I shut off I close myself off to my own depth. Why? Because I need to now control everything. But by controlling everything, what do I remain? I remain in a very small orbit. So that's the gift. The mud is a gift. It's the gift of being part of but where is it expressed? It's expressed in erit in the lowest place. No, it's and that's why it's called earth. What does it have? It has nothing but a means that this erit this erit will become filled with so that was can become like that's the idea. Oh good question. So what happens with then? So because we're dealing with with infinity. So what does so there's always a way right? So it's just elevated well with a muna today becomes d tomorrow and that then is elevated to a much higher space and etc. infinite I saw from huh okay that yeah that yeah that's that's it's not you need to it's not you need to you get to get rid of the word need and replace it with the word get. It's like, huh? This is what he's looking for. And is the gift of surrender. It's the gift of letting go of all control. It's the gift of opening myself up to that which I completely can't understand. There's something so liberating about it. It's difficult because we love control. But it's something so liberating when you can let go. On one hand, what do I have? It's not integrated into my identity. That's why it's called eritz. In many ways, it's the lowest level. But in that lowest level, you have the everything. Noah, you have everything over there. How do you have everything? Not in a way that's integrated into the identity. It's because I could let go of the identity. It's a very liberating experience. Try it out. But it's a it's a very it's a very emotional. It's really really letting go. You know, it's like when sometimes sometimes life doesn't bring people to that space. I guess you could say they're lucky. I don't know if they're lucky or they're not lucky, but sometimes life becomes so unbearable that as if you're going to control it, you're going to break. You're going to destroy it. Essentially, let me put it in romantic terms. When life becomes unbearable, everybody's life should be blissful and amazing and blessed. But sometimes there's moments, let's call it moments when you feel life becomes unbearable. If you want the perspective, it's infinity knocking on your door. Infinity is knocking on your door. As long as finitness knocks on your door, you can open the door and say, "Come and have a beautiful living room. Sit down on the couch." And that's how we like, you know, come into my dining room, come into my kitchen, come into my brain when infinity knocks on the door. So, I keep I keep it out as much as I can. You close the door. But sometimes it breaks down the door and then what does it look like? All the walls come crumbling down. There's no walls anymore, right? You can call it a essentially the walls come crumbling down. Why? Why does it have to always Why does the moment you start a question with the word why? I don't know where I'm supposed to answer. Why can't it be a blissful experience? I know ultimately it is. It could be a blissful. It should be. But but the ultimate reason why we go through the abyss, I don't know the reason for that. I don't know that anybody knows the reason. If we talk about the reality of it though, the journey, the journey from ego to death of ego always travels through grief. It always travels through grief. Maybe there's a few souls that don't, but it usually just there's a lot of grief. There's there's the grief of letting go. It's fearing. There's letting go number one. And there's also the grief of the contrast, you know, when you when when it's also it's also grief that comes the more bliss, there's more grief because you see the contrast between oneself and another self. That's that's painful because we have walls. That's why. If we didn't have walls, it would be blissful. Yeah. It's the it's it's the pain of of of of of living within walls that I could control, that I can shape, that I can craft, and allowing those walls to break down. That's that's very hard. It's very hard. Not only that, the ego will scream, "You're killing yourself. This is death. This is death." Either you're going to go insane or you're going to go crazy. That's the same thing usually. or worse, there won't even be anybody to go crazy. And at that moment, I'm like Erits. I'm just like the piece like the earth literally like the earth. The the magic of the earth is, you know, it doesn't have opinions. Like it's just it's there to absorb reality. You put the seed in the earth and you know the miracles happen. The earth doesn't mix in. The earth doesn't have an ego. It everybody steps on it. But knows and the power of growth of vegetation. This the closest thing we get to is in the power of erits is it just absorbs. It absorbs. It doesn't give opinions. You put the seed in it gets the water and boom things happen. You know it just holds. They call it holding space. Erits holds space. And in holding space, tremendous things happen. And that's really what amuna is. Amuna means trust. It's holding space for reality that's beyond me. I just hold space. So what's the role of I? The the role of I is be to be like the erits, you know, like the mother's womb is like we call it mother earth, you know, feminine earth, mother earth. I would say in relationships also it's it's it's one of the most powerful things we can do. Be like the earth. you know, hold space. You know, often as parents or teachers or friends, I feel like I have to educate you and teach you and and tell you what to do and fix you. You know, especially when it comes to parents and children, you see your children going through a process and we want to educate them and teach them and tell them all the right things to do and and fix them and and make them mention so they could turn out as perfect as Tati or as mommy. And we desperately and especially if you're a good parent, it's so hard to see the pain in the other. It's like I just want to get rid of the pain. But sometimes the deepest thing you can do that and how do I know it's the deepest? First of all, you see the results and second of all, you see how hard it is. So you know that it's the deepest the deepest thing you can do is can you really see me? Can you just see the other? Can you really see them and and just know that there's unbelievable potential there like and but really see it. And that's hard because it's really believing in what there is. And that's what the earth does. The seed comes in. The earth doesn't give opinions and say, "Where were you all these years, you shaita?" The earth just, "Oh, you're here. Let me hold space and I see you." It's literally the earth sees the seed. How do you know the earth sees the seat? Because the seed suddenly removes its coat. It removes its garments. It removes its def. You know, a seat has a defense mechanism. It's called a coat. The reason a seed has a coat is because if it wouldn't have a coat, wherever you would put it, a little sun, a it would start sprouting. You would put it on your bookshelf, it starts sprouting. You know what happens over there? There's nothing. It dies. So, it protects itself. The coat protects it literally like a coat. It does not allow itself to open up not in the right time and not in the right place. Suddenly in the earth, the seed is ah kishmach. The earth doesn't do anything. Today we know the earth doesn't do anything but it does everything. The earth does nothing but it does everything because it does nothing. Because it does nothing, it doesn't mix in its ego. So what happens? All the miracles happen. The seed comes out. The seed has everything. There's a ready a baby plant in the seed. There's a baby plant. There's the seed has a seed coat. It has a baby plant, little tiny plant. And it has what's called endosperm, which is a it has all the food it needs. It's all in the sea. That's why you could live a thousand years and it's fine. It's alive even though it looks dead. And the earth just allows it come out. And suddenly the the feet start kicking. We call it roots. And then the hands start moving and punching. We call it shoots. And a few years later you have your beautiful orange or apple tree here in the backyard. Cherry tree. You understand that inion of holding space with BL trusting essentially that's what ama is and it relates to a in another person which is ultimately rooted am too. So on one hand the moon is like the lowest level it's erit what is it I'm just letting go like so who am I nothing it's but in that you have everything no it's mashia comes that erit will be saturated with because it'll be fully integrated vigil it doesn't take away from das yeah like he says das is the awareness das is tuning in das is is is is understanding understanding what we can understand and there's plenty we can understand in our limited way and one is not liberated from that one is not say yeah just let go you have to have something to let go from if I just live my life I just let go of everything I'll just sit here for your kids will tell you your kids will show you I need to show up with the tools I have that's no question they say two people fail in life those people who don't have a plan and those people who stick to their plan. You understand? That's a very very important idea in life. A plan. You need somebody opens up a company, a business, an organization, you need a plan. But don't stick to it. Don't stick to it. All the companies that went down in the last few years, they had a plan and they stuck to it. In our generation especially, you got to be open. You got to be open. The earth doesn't have a plan. It has a plan, but it doesn't stick to it. Oh, it's a different type of seed. Okay. I thought we were getting an orange. Okay. We're getting blueberries. I love blueberries. I don't like blueberries. Why don't you like blueberries? Yeah. I saw a story cuz I never saw it in any kabat sources, but I saw it from him. I guess it's from some source from another source that the alterba was once a and there was a batan there and the batan would you know they would have all these interesting rhymes and insights and perspectives and this batkan happened to be a of the alterb so he couldn't do batanas in front of so he had a little to drink or a lot to drink and then he started his batanas so he says he's sitting in front of the alter by the I guess it was of a relative and he tells the I decided I gave a lot of thought and I decided that there's very small difference between you and me and he says you huh he tells I don't see a big difference between you and I What I know, you also know. Okay? So, we're equal. What you don't know, I also don't know. So, what's the difference? There's some things that you know and I don't know. That's the difference. And then he said, but then this man added, he said, but how do you compare that which you know relative to that which you don't know? And he said that started to cry when he heard that. Right? So he was, you understand what he was saying here? What you know, I know. What I know, you know. So we're good. I'm sorry. What I know, you also know. What you don't know, I also don't know. Okay. So, so what's the difference? The difference is the stuff you know and I don't know. Now, there's a lot of stuff that alterb knew that he didn't know. But he says, "How do you compare that to that which you don't know?" So basically, you and I are more or less equal. He was yeah init of you have everything sometimes because it doesn't have to be sophisticated. You know sometimes the simplest people are the smartest people because they're simple. They're not self-conscious. They don't have to they don't have to perform. They don't have to be anything. They don't have to be you don't have to be. You don't have to be impressive. there's a kabach I know. So he tells me that he was going to give a lecture in his community. So before he leaves, you know, your wife preps you. A good wife preps her husband. So he says, she tells him, don't try to be funny. Don't try to sound intelligent. Don't try to be creative, artistic, engaging, interesting, dramatic, charismatic. So she said, "So what should I do?" She said, "Be yourself. Just be yourself." You know, boom. good boost of self-confidence, you know, that's called being the earth, right? She just turned them into a stickle edits. Just be yourself, you know, dumb, stupid. So, I told the story to my wife. She said that's not what she meant. She meant he should allow his natural wisdom to emerge and not try to concoct it. Okay? Women understand women. But but but that's that's the Indian of what are you what you know leg what you don't know what value is there touched so much that he says of he started to cry so more than other people because moisha had so much das so therefore he understood tood how much he didn't understand much more than others. Others think I don't understand because I didn't read it yet. I'll read it. I'll understand it. I'll learn it. I'll have another few years. Moa understood that he didn't understand more. So he could his need to let go was even more cuz he faced things that other people didn't have to face. You know, Alicia Bavuya when he went into the orchard, he didn't come back the same. Ben Zimma didn't come back the same. Ben Azai passed away. Ben Za lost his mind was. It's not simple to see a lot. It's not simple. You know, once you see certain things, it's not so easy to come back. It's a very it's it's it's very very painful. You know, people don't realize what it is to see a lot of things. Like people who see a lot of things and know a lot of things, you know, don't be je don't don't get so jealous so fast. It's like you know once you start seeing the backend program of existence it's not so simple. It's like you really you have to be a kali for it. You have to have a level of bul of ama that is infinite because you're touching places where you know our regular perception of life we make com we make everybody makes you know we try to make a little sense out of our life even with all the challenges and when all that goes down it's a it's a walls come crumbling down but what happens in that moment there's a question asks how can hashem destroy the bik it of the mitzvah that he tells others to do. He himself does. There's a mitzvah that you're not even demolish one stone in the Bik even. So, Hashem says, "I'm going to send even calls my servant to destroy the base." I mean, you're not allowed or the Jews don't deserve it. Fine. Do something else with it. Who gave you a right to destroy the Bdali was a big authority in Turkey. This is what he asks? Good interesting question. So the ones gave an answer. So he said a very powerful word. It says in Zar that the first two mikdas didn't survive because they were built by people. And anything that's built by a person, what we build is mortal. That's what it that's how it is. Look what happened to Lehman Brothers, Beer Sterns, other great companies. The Titanic, unfortunately, the Titanic was the unsinkable ship. They say that's the captain or somebody said even God can't sink the Titanic. The Roman Empire it also came to an end. Humans are mortal like we say in you want to do the that's how it is. So the zya says the first two sanctuaries were destroyed. The third one is it's God's edifice. So it's going to be eternal. Why do we have fools that want to build because they don't understand us? You have to have you have to be smart to have a that's what we're explaining. The pes is not always such a pess [Music] like this is and this this shul is a very good example for this because it's always under construction. 1820 for is always under construction. That's why everybody feels comfortable here. A shul that's built suddenly there's seats. This is your place. This is my place right here. You can't get too comfortable cuz in a week it's under construction. So we're good. It's a way of making everybody feel at home. There used to be a third building. I remember I came one day it's gone. Where are we dinging? I don't know. We'll find a new place. Tents, tents, tents. So I'm saying it's very applicable to this place. So it says in if you're not let to destroy even one stone of the Bik. So how do you renovate? So the answer is if you're demolishing the sh in order to rebuild it in the same place you're it's mutil says why cuz when you're demolishing a sh to rebuild it in the same place it's not called demolishing it's called renovation if you want to expand your house you have a small kitchen you want to expand your house you have to take down the walls why you want to destroy your house no you want to rebuild your house in order to rebuild you have to take down the walls So you could rebuild them an acre away. So you have a big kitchen with a big dining room with a big family room and the pool. So it's not called demolishing, it's called renovation. What are you? You're crazy destroying your house. I'm not destroying. I'm building. If I destroy the sh to rebuild it somewhere else, I want to take the lumber or the stones then. That's what the explains. So the Reb said that's if you look at the Bikdish and you say he was just destroying the B mikd to destroy it then is right you're not let do it but if the whole purpose is you're destroying the walls in order to be able to create space for a third bish which is divine so then the beginning of the bin is the is not something different the is the beginning of the bign unfortunately it's almost 2,000 years so that's how you know God is a Jewish contractor, you know, between the de demolition and and rebuilding takes a long long time. In his eyes is only two days. You're right. But we're we're we're living on earth here. You're right. 2,000 years is only two days. Very good. I wondered why you said two days. You mean because a thousand years is a day. Very good. So, but I want to What does this mean in life? How do we apply this in life? Sometimes there's a situation, right? Infinity is banging on the wall. I say, "Come back later. I still have to make a career for myself. Come back later. Still got to marry off my kids. I still got to figure out my life. Come back." But sometimes it doesn't come back. It goes through the window. And what happens? All the walls come falling down. So you could look at it in two ways. You could say it's Bikdish. The Reb says it's not the Bdish. is the beginning of the building of the third basikt. The beginning of the building of the third basikdish requires that the walls of a temporary mortal finite structure need to go down because finite structures never ever endure because they're built on finitness. If I can apply it to marriage, I would say the same thing. Sometimes marriages are built, but they're based on mortal stones, mortal bricks. It worked. We fell in love, whatever. We liked each other. And then suddenly 10 years pass, 5 years pass, 20 years pass, 25 years pass, and there's cracks all over the marriage. And sometimes say people say, "My whole marriage is being destroyed." Maybe, maybe. But sometimes you have to look at it and say your old ba mikdesh is being destroyed. It's true. Why? Or for what? Let's not say why, but for what? So that you could create an eternal structure. [Music] That's not a mortal edifice. It's a divine edifice. A divine edifice looks very different. In order to have a divine edifice, I have to let go of the walls that I built because those walls are very flimsy and frail. That's not going to hold up the structure. So the cracks are sometimes the best thing that ever happened to you. Doesn't mean it's easy. Demolishing a house is not easy. Everybody who's into construction or built a house themselves, you know the headache. The Gmorra says, anyone who builds a building, it has a very serious effect. It's not easy. Even if you have a good uh architect and contractor, it's hard. It's very hard. But it turns out that it's the greatest gift. Sometimes children do it to us. You know, they poke they poke holes in these beautiful buildings we built. I mean, this is happening now constantly in people's lives. The only people who have perfect families are the people I don't know. The only people have perfect marriages are the people don't I don't know. The people who have perfect lives are the people I don't know. Cracks show up. You could look it in. You could say my temple is being destroyed. Or you could say my third temple is knocking on the door trying to be renovated. It's not easy. But that's what eritz means. Erits is that's where amuna comes in. Amuna is I let go. I let go of all the structures and I allow the become I allow myself to be earth. But in earth tremendous miracles happen. It doesn't impose itself. So back to relationships like when it comes to parenting you know can you really see me and make space for me and believe in me and trust me don't change me trust me. We want to take away pain from people. We can't always but we could see it. We can empathize with it. We can have compassion for it. And we could look at it and we can allow them to find their resources because that's what they're going to have to find. I can't find your resources. You have to find it. But I could really be there. That's what the earth is. So that's why is called ama ande means that that becomes filled with because it's integrated. So that is that ama on its own is aloof. It's sublime. It's it could remain in the peripheral periphery of my psyche. means shepherd it, integrate it, bring it in, feed it, bring the mak into pim, the into the balus a little bit. He goes and he saysd what allows this eritz to become a place of what allows the to be developed in a person and therefore to be integrated what he calls to be raised like nurturing the flock growing up to blossom. This is the gift of says we'll make man in our image. It means the 248 mitzvah. It says in are the 248 limbs of the kingdom. Adam is called. He's called because it reflects from the word. It mirrors heaven. It mirrors Hashem. That's why we're called. So he says the mitzvah are called the 248 limbs of the because every limb channels a certain energy of the soul. So he says every mitzvah channels of it channels the pure infinity of God. generally just like in a body there's the right column the left column there's the center you have 248 mitzvah which are the limbs of the king you have yin you have you have and those are the three dimensions of yiddish we say the world stands on three things learning service which is prayer connection and which is generally kindness charity doing helping Ramb says the whole are's names when we speak about learning the expression of what does literally mean calling somebody like right calling why he says is a fascinating idea when you're learning you're calling who you calling you're calling the whole is God's name so it's like yankul any word of I read who I'm calling I'm calling God's name I'm inviting God into my life that's what limit is means it's like you're calling your friend come come over let's spend time that's why it's called means to call somebody right you say love you called out to him. I call you please come here. So means I'm not just learning an idea. I'm calling out for God. And that's why the whole is a name. Any word of is just another name of Hashem. It's just another way of calling out. That's what is So that's that's the first step and that's why it invites of which is again the pure oneness of precation that's still here postcreation that we spoke about in the previous two classes it's all so the first thing is then you have what is generally it's to give life to those whose spirits have been humbled is the spirits of the humble to give them life That's what charity is. Someone who's destitute, someone who's needy, whether it's physical charity, financial charity, emotional charity, it's giving life to those who have been humbled. Stuck is not just money. Of course, it's also money, but stuck is a smile. Stuck is a hug. Stuck is a good vert. Sometimes it's more powerful than anything else, right? People don't have to be stingy with love. People sometimes don't have to be stingy. They're stingy. They may not be stingy with money, but they're stingy with love. They're stingy with a smile. They're stingy with a compliment. They're stingy with a with an inspiring ver to empower, to uplift, to animate. [Music] I have to tell you something. I read there's a fellow, his name is Jer, his name was Jerome Mate. Dr. Jerome Mate and he was a forensic psychologist working for the police department in San Francisco. He died in 2015 and they interviewed him in the New Yorker, I believe. So I saw that he told a story before he died. He told a story. I mean they interviewed him before he died. Yeah, it's probably obvious. So he he's so what was his job in the police department? When somebody unfortunately committed suicide, he was sent out to go scan this the home and the situation to make sure that there was no foul play. It was indeed a suicide and nothing else. And he did this for maybe 25, 35 years. The police called him, the guy was found dead. he would go to the house and he would check out the evidence and just make sure that you know this wasn't a cover up from a murderer. So they asked him if there was any situation that really rattled him. So he said unfortunately after so many years you get used to these horrible sites but one time something happened and he says it tore his heart apart. What happened? He was called by the police department. Somebody in his 30s jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to his death. He jumped over the bridge, which is not so uncommon over there, unfortunately. He was sent to his apartment. So, he went to his apartment. So, it was a regular apartment. He was a single guy in his 30s, middle class apartment, you know, balabates. He's looking around, sniffing around, looking what's happening. And then he notices a note on the desk or on the table. He said that was not unusual. People usually or at least often leave notes. But when he read the note, he was torn. He said he was devastated. The person wrote as follows. I'm now going to be walking to the Golden Gate Bridge from my house. It was around a half an hour walk. I plan on jumping off unless somebody smiles to me on the way. So he walked and that one person smiled. So that touched him. That touched him. All right. So when he says it, what's the idea of is you never know how you pick up the you never know. You plant seeds. You smile to a person. What's the big deal? It didn't cost you money. But you don't know what that means. I'm not saying that every person you need to smile to because they're going to go kill themselves. I mean, let's hope that's not the situation with every person you meet. But the idea is very powerful. So what's the connection here? So he says every arousal from below creates an arousal from above. So exactly the same thing happens. What happens? There's the ham of what's the most humbled thing in the presence of pure infinity finitness. So when a person goes out of his or her comfort zone, my own bubble and I embrace a person who's humble or person who's needy, that's what is and I lift them up. So everything we do creates a ripple effect in all of reality, right? It's like a rope like it says in Tanya. You sway the rope on the bottom and has a ripple effect all the way on the top. So in the deepest place the same thing happens. Hashem gives what does that look like of shears its presence with with life with our life. So that's the second element. So you have is calling and generates that flow. And then the third thing is the third component of literally means the service which was basically a fire. The fire of allowing the human or the animal below to be absorbed in the heavenly fire. Today we have the whole institution of dvening of to raise to blossom the fire of love from below to the to a to above towards the whole is instituted as a carbon. When a person says blessed is he who spoke and the world came into existence we say theor says that is one and then it came specified in the nine but for the whole Davening is focused on the fact that one utterance basically is responsible for creation and that's what we learned about in peric what of amun is that the pure reality of an is pre and postcreation the same and the whole world is an articulation of one mimer and that one mimer is still in the essence and when a person realizes this but then the only is on to be able to have intimacy with the source. So all this is there to evoke a sense of yearning and desire and fire and passion. So this generates the flow face that you show to the water. The water shows back to you. So that yearning for ultimate truth comes back that that ultimate truth becomes entrenched in the heart of the person. So the say what allows that to be integrated that's generally the gift of mitzvah represents the raz which are connected the and the gidd the limbs and the senus theim channel the life source and the mitzvah channel of specifically he spoke about the three pillars of and each one is a way of it's the daily battle for transcendence. It's the daily uh uh communication with the pure infinity either through learning ta which is inviting inviting calling out for god to come into my life saddaka which is my proactivity of going into a space outside of my comfort zone giving giving money to my wife giving money to myself that's not called stock it's giving to someone outside of that comfort zone to the spirit of the destitute financially, physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, whatever looks like according to the person's capacity and that reverberates that Hashem gives his sedaka which is of coming into your life which is again the concept of sodaka giving and then avoid that's the person rising from below like the fire of the carbon and davening which raises the spirit of love that I want you I yearn for you and upon him. You want me and I want you. The face that you show the water, the water shows back. So that's why it's the three pillars of that channel this and integrate it into a person's life. That's the gift of mitzvah. [Music] Let's bring in a one of the Look, [Music] this says Viselle. And now this is the deeper meaning of saying when he began the mimer with after the Jews said we want Hashem speaking to us more because we're going to die. Moshe, you give us over what Hashem says. And Hashem agreed. He told Moshe, "You stay with me and you'll give them over the mitzvah." And then Mosha says, "This is the mitzvah that God gave you to do in the land which flows with milk and honey." And what is it? Asked in the beginning of the mitzvah. He says, "This is the mitzvah that he gave you to do in the land. Even is the mitzvah to say we have a mitzvah. It's not like it's not a mitzvah." But his introduction is that you're going to do then and that's the first mitzvah that he says after he records the story of the mitzvah of saying the mitzvah of the mitzvah of learning the mitzvah of all the mitzvah in this par are not connected only to Israel anywhere are Jewish the deeper meaning is says right after this is the mitzvah that said I should tell you is to do in the land and he continues this is the land which is and what is it? So he asked all the questions on this in the beginning of the of the he says in par what is really what's the idea of who The idea of Israel is there's the concept of and dvening you have a lot of the das is what is Why don't you just say three times the same word in one sentence? So obviously you're saying something. The answer is represents was is and will be transcending time space and matter. As we always learn, Alim is. That's why is the only name of Hashem that is in the plural. No names are in the plural. You don't have singular and plural. It's not singular or plural. Alim, you have and you have which is plural. In fact, it's even used for judges. It's also only the name of Hashem that changes forms based on the subject. You don't say mine, yours. Is pliable. It's flexible. Why? Because it's there's your God. There's my God. There's the way. There's the way to access. You access the divine in a way that I can't access it. Because every creature has its own energy that it channels that's unique. So that's ours. It's intimate. It's mine. It's very individuated. The question is can ever come together. That's the of it's really in other everything we keep on talking about that and two separate things that's just in the beginning of perception. In the beginning of perception that's how it is because we live in a world of polarity. The statement of Israel is here is which is all it's all that's what he says here which is of which is and our relationship is there should all be and it says in says is the seven heavens in the earth is the four directions of the planet east west south and north. So the idea is it should become one and one also manifested all the way on earth and this is what he calls the higher level of unity that the two don't remain separate things because even the individual identity of every creature becomes a channel for the infinity of the one precation. So that's what Israel is the recognition of the real fusion of these two things that we've been talking about the and the so we talk about it as two because that's our vocabulary but that there's a oneness in the letting go we also liberate the whole world we liberate ourselves so now even the walls that we have and the boundaries we have become channels of of oneness. That's what the par of is. So that's what means this is the mitzvah you do in the er in the land not just the physical land but the erit that we spoke about is what it's the land of faith am is called eritz as we explained what's eritz is just a receptacle that allows things to happen inside without control it's open it's humble it's the lowest space we walk on it but no This is experienced in the a land that flows with milk and honey. What does it mean? It flows with milk and honeyd. What does milk do? Every mother in humans and also mammals, how do they raise their calves? The young are born, the infants are born, the fetus emerges. It can't live without. The mother's milk nurses it and allows the original primal growth physically and emotionally. And all the nutrients in mom's milk are very suitable for exactly for what the child needs. Incredible what a mother's milk is. Spiritually, what's if is a it flows milk. It's The inner love that's embedded in the heart should come out. That's what milk does. It raises it just like it. It allows the body to grow spiritually. Allows the love to grow. says the greatest form, the greatest explosion of love comes from because it transcends the containers of my identity. What's honey? Dash is considered the sweetest food. Sweetness and bliss. It's the bliss. The greatest bliss in life is a relationship with the but that's the greatest when a person meditates I haven't changed and the same one is precation is postcreation only like the ray of the sun reaches earth and heaven together with all of We say even the name is exalted only the but I'm not telling this to you to tell you that you don't matter that you're connected to that infinity that was the answer to your question last is who you are. The joy and the tug the honey that this creates is very powerful. So from this erit from the gift of amuna flows two things milk and honey. Why is praise with a place that flows with milk and honey. I mean it's nice that it has milk and it's nice that it has honey. Other countries also have it. It flows with milk and honey. So he says spiritually this represents the gift of the erit. It's an erit that the milk that nurtures the young and allows them to grow in the most powerful way. During those early primal, most formative years, you grow even more than later. Spiritually, it's the growth of the aa from a place that's embedded in the heart to a full expansive experience. And vash there's the element of blissful oneness. There's no bliss in the world like the ego giving up control. The death of the ego is the greatest bliss in life. It's true. You can argue from today till tomorrow. It's true because the ego is a counterfeit identity. And whenever you're invested in a counterfeit identity, the bliss is constantly a distraction. It's looking for something else because it's counterfeit. It doesn't really exist. So maybe the ice cream will help me. Maybe another $100,000 will help me. Maybe a new house will help me. Maybe a little cupboard will help me. Maybe a little ty will help me. Maybe a little validation will help me from one thing, another thing, another thing, another thing. In the absolute letting go of everything and being a channel for the oneness, precreation where I don't have the burden of having to exist. Ah, you can become a normal person. You let go of all self-consciousness. Bitis is the greatest form of dash. There's no tuk like that in the world. There's nothing as sweet in the world, even in relationships. There's nothing as sweet and powerful in a relationship as when the husband and the wife can fall and lean into each other's infinity without defense mechanisms. Anybody knows what I'm talking about? So, this is the Okay, we'll take a break here. We'll continue the mimer and I hope to finish it on Thursday. Again, I want to remind everybody that tomorrow 3:00 we're going to have a history lecture here in Tent Alf on the history of the mana and its true shape. Everybody is invited. 3:00 tent alf and may after the destruction of all the walls of the first two mikdish may we see even before the new mikdish the mikt from everybody have a beautiful day we have to eliminate break down our walls you're Right. Yeah, I hear you. I'm with you. For that, you have to believe that it's yours. It's ours. You're You're preaching to the converted above and